Grown Ups
by bubbles799
Summary: Parents are meant to be looking out for their children. But in the case of the Westaway's, it was the daughter doing the looking after.


**Title:** Grown Ups  
**Author:** bubbles799  
**Show:** _Packed to the Rafters_  
**Characters:** Sammy essentially, but with the bases of her parents, and her the Rafter's.  
**Summary:** Parents are meant to be looking out for their children. But in the case of the Westaway's, it was the daughter doing the looking after.  
**Disclaimer:** I could lie and say PTTR's is mine... But that would be, in fact, a lie.

_**A one shot based around Sammy's life growing up, and how she found relief in her new family with the Rafter's. It does not include anything regarding the divorce between Nathan and Sammy, as it takes place before then. **_

Parents are supposed to be there for their children, to protect them from danger, to pick them up and brush them off when they fall down.

But in Sammy Rafter's case, it was the other way around. For most of her life, she had been doing that for her parents, who both acted as if they were sixteen. In times of need, level headed Sammy had been left to pick up the pieces.

Her parents, Tony and Trish Westaway, were married for twenty-five years. And despite Trish saying that she had 'brought the marriage back from the creek' countless times, it really was Sammy who was the survivor, the strong one.

Throughout her childhood, Sammy might have travelled, she might have had everything she ever wanted. But what Sammy really was missing was a family, a family who truly cared for her. It was as Sammy got older, even by the time she reached ten, Sammy had made that realisation. And as she hit her teens, Sammy was adamant she wanted to learn values and respect them.

Sammy was given anything she wanted. Both herself and her mother were given money from her father to keep them happy. It seems like the perfect life. But as one of those people inside that family, Sammy saw the sadness and the negative energy that lifestyle encouraged.

She watched the down fall of her parents. Both not content with being lonely and having their own 'bit on the side'. It was all about image and never about family, what really mattered.

When Sammy left school, her father didn't expect her to study further to support herself in the future. But Sammy was stubborn, determined that she wanted to be somewhat independent. In hindsight, it was the best decision she could have made. By the time she was twenty-two, the safety net of her father's money was gone.

Her biggest relief came in the form a Nathan, the real estate agent who originated from the suburbs. While he was unsure of how she'd react seeing where he grew up, Sammy instantly saw what she'd always wanted. A family that actually cared about each other and where money wasn't everything.

Marrying Nathan was everything she wanted. He didn't fit the profile of what she had always managed she'd find in a husband. Especially not her father's profile. But Sammy found that he was what she had always wanted, even if she hadn't realised it.

But in marrying Nathan, Sammy also gained herself a family. A family who genuinely cared about what she did, what was happening and looked out for each other.

Temporarily, Sammy was able to forget about her former home life, the unhappiness she had felt for so long at being the grown up in the Westaway family. She finally had someone to lean on, and not have to be the constant strong one in the family.

That was until her father was up on fraud charges that things took a turn for the worst and Sammy was thrown back into the life. Her father buried his head in the sand, unfazed about the scam he had conducted that cost people their fortunes. Her mother simply wore it. Sammy, however, saw the effects of the people who lost everything. She was even called a princess at a seafood restaurant when out with Nathan.

The morning Trish turned up on the Rafter's doorstep and announced that she was divorcing Tony was a shock to the system. With her mother headed overseas and her father up on charges, Sammy had a period of time that resembled normality. The life she had lead after her wedding day. Without having to face the problems day in and day out, Sammy had the chance to forget. Or so it seemed.

Upon her mother's return from Italy, Sammy was again thrown back into that world. The unvalued world she had been brought up in. As much as she wanted it all to go away, Sammy again knew she had to be the strong one. Standing up to her father, Sammy did what she had to do to get her mother back on her feet. Because again, she was the grown up in the family.

The most important thing Sammy had learnt from her time with the Rafters was that of family comes first. She understood the values important in life. The priorities in life.

Having to be the grown up in the Westaway family had been a way of life for Sammy. Even after she left behind her maiden name and became a Rafter. But the unforseen benefit had been that she'd learnt how to be a grown up, how to value life and the people in it. The fractured lifestyle she had led had set her up for life. And now she truly appreciated the values in life. A lesson learnt in being the grown up.

_**Another one shot. But I figure they can't hurt in amongst the updates for 'Little Miracle'. **_

_**Would love a read and review.**_


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